It's H-O-T!!!

Well, we've made it back to Mali. We actually made it back two weeks ago today. Yes, we were supposed to be back on Friday but we don't have really good luck with flying to or from Dakar. Our flight was delayed from Friday afternoon until Saturday morning due to water in the fuel. Praise God, He kept us safe and we had an uneventful flight Saturday morning.

Here we are on our way to church.

 

 

 

So, we've been back two weeks now. The first week we didn't do too much. We got out and visited a few of our African friends and tried to get re-acclimated to the heat. The heat is incredible here. The other night at 8:30 it was 102...in our house!! Praise God we have ac units in our bedrooms and are able to retreat there as long as we have power! The heat has taken it's toll on us. All the energy Arnett had built up in Dakar was gone by our first Monday back in Mali. The heat seems to just zap it right out of him. Praise God, slowly, he's building his energy back up. This week we were able to get out to the village for a night. Arnett was even able to help Mitch pick up cow manure for their compost pits. Another Praise is Arnett was able to tell the story of creation to our storying group, in Bambara!!

Arnett and Mitch loving Mango season!

 

 

 

Me and one of my friends.

 

 

 

 

Zeke is doing well. He's a trooper in the heat. He does go around in his diaper most of the day. The only time I put him in clothes is if we're going somewhere. We Praise God for such an easy going baby!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, that's what we've been up to these past two weeks. Things you can be praying for:

1. Wisdom for Arnett to know when he's done enough and needs to stop and take a break.
2. Sharp minds as we prepare Bible stories in Bambara each week to share with our storying group in D-village.
3. For desire to get out and be obedient to God, despite the heat and cultural frustrations we encounter.

Thank you again for your prayers! Until next time...

We're getting there...

Well, the past several weeks we've been hanging out in Dakar. Resting as much as possible and enjoying the much cooler weather. And when I say much cooler, today in Bamako the high was supposed to be 107. In Dakar, the high was supposed to be 79. That's almost 30 degrees!!! So, like I said, we are thoroughly enjoying the cooler weather. Arnett is feeling much better. He's still not 100% yet, but he's getting there.  Even though Arnett getting sick has not been fun and has been quite stressful at times, we can see how God has orchestrated all of it. He knew exactly what we needed and that was a break. We needed this time away. Downtime. Time to rest, relax, and refocus. Time to refocus on our relationship with Him. Time for a mental and spiritual renewal. So, for that, we are so thankful and we Praise Him for the sickness!! Here are a few pics we've taken since we've been here:

Zeke, found the toilet paper!!

 

 

 

Zeke and I loving the Dakar weather

 

 

 

Zeke loves it outside, but he doesn't like the grass!!

 

 

Zeke having fun with his Daddy.

 

 

 

We had a great Easter weekend. On Saturday we were able to go to a cookout that some of our colleagues here in Dakar were having. We played games, ate lots of good food, and had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. We had a great time. Sunday, we ended up not doing anything because I was running a fever. I came down with some sort of bacterial infection. I'm on antibiotics and feel fine now! Praise God!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zeke chewing on his first rib bone. Yum! Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our cute little man!

 

 

 

 

So, we are all set to go home. We leave Friday (4/9) afternoon and head back to Mali. Please remember us as we travel. Also, ask the Father to prepare us mentally and physically for our return. We've been out of commission for about 2 months now and are anxious to get back into some sort of routine. Pray for Arnett's strength and for wisdom in knowing when to stop and take a rest. Ask the Father to prepare our hearts for what He has in store for us in the days ahead.

We can't Thank You enough for remembering us in your prayers! Until next time...